Rough Path to Memory Square - Doctor Strange x Reader (Earth 838)

26. An Offer You Can't Refuse

Waking up from a weird dream, that you don't even remember, you grab your phone to check the time.

"11? Shit!" you jump out of the bed, almost falling on your ass as your legs get tangled in the sheets. "Shit, shit, shit." you keep muttering to yourself and try to find your pants. You were supposed to be up 4 hours ago and already at the London Sanctum to meet the famous sorceress, who returned from her journey around the world just to meet you.

Bad first impressions? Nothing new in your life. Finally putting on your still old robes and tying the belt, you dart out of the room, almost colliding with a firm chest in front of the room.

"Fuck, sorry." you say and look up, noticing the man you never expected to see in this place.

"Whoa, hey there, chuckles. Already falling for me?" cocky smile on his lips, goatee sharp as always, you see him standing in his best suit, fancy sunglasses sticking out of his jacket's pocket.

"Tony?? WHAT -"

"Peps kicked me out, we heard the news about your uhhh..." Tony puts up his pointer finger in the air and pretends to look for a suitable word, "your new title. Came here to congratulate you." he puts his hands on your shoulders and pats two times. Yep, awkward as always.

"Well, thank you, but I don't have the title yet, the ceremony's tonight." you say and his smile drops.

"Oh. Yeah, whatever. Also, that grumpy guy downstairs that directed me here was very, very angry about something, be aware, chuckles."
Tony pulls the door to your new room open and slightly pushes you in. "Damn, a real magician's room." he looks around, eyes staying longer on the roses.

"Yeah, cuz I overslept my very important meeting. I think I should send her an apology letter." you sigh and sit at the end of the bed, looking at your arms in your lap.

"Happens all the time, don't worry. Tell that very important lady that you were kidnapped by me for a while, they all loosen up a bit when my name is mentioned." Tony pulls the chair from the table and sits in front of you, still keeping a five-step distance. Turning back to look at the table again, he raises an eyebrow at the flowers.

"What exactly are you doing here, Tony?" you ask, looking at him. Stark looks very out of place, possibly for the first time in years.

"I need a favor, magic lady." he leans back on the chair and man-spreads a bit. You slightly raise one eyebrow.

"Exactly what favor you might need from me?"

"Okay, that's more like a proposition than a favor, but..." he falls silent for a dramatic effect, "I'm creating a team. A club. A group."

"Yes...?"

"And I want you to be a part of it." he says and loudly puts his hands on his knees.

"You know that this sounds exactly like when someone gives you drugs but says nothing about the shit it might cause?"

"Strong comparison, definitely gonna use that in the future."

"Listen, Tony... I have a lot of things on my mind now, and don't you already have a team? The Avengers? Pull them back together and voilà." you dramatically clasp your hands together. And stand up, pacing around the room.

"We're done as Avengers, in case you forgot." Tony stands up, not liking how you're not focusing on him entirely.

"Okay. So? What you have in that genius mind of yours?"

"Hellfire Club. People, or superheroes who have the most influence in the world, all together in one room. Basically Illuminati 2.0 but can't use that name twice, right?" he huffs a laugh, but the only thing that is funny to you is this crazy idea.

"Hellfire club? Seriously? What kind of name is that? You're gonna do what? Go roast some marshmallows on the edge of volcano?"

"Again, good joke, magic lady, but I am completely serious. After what shit happened in the Illuminati, I want a better protection for Earth. And you, as the Sorcerer Supreme, have a chance to be my right hand. One time offer, y/n."

"How do you know what happened at Illuminati quarters?" you look at him, as if you could see what gears are turning in his head.

"My precious but now old creations that you so lovingly call 'Ultron bots' have a thing that's called 'film everything when shit goes down', so I saw a lot from the battle." he steps closer, looking how your eyes got wider with his every word. "I saw what you're capable of, y/n. I want you on my team. You could raise everything to a new level. Although I don't think that helping some kid and a guy that looks painfully familiar to my old pal Strange, was the best idea, but" he looks around the room, eyes falling on the roses again. "But, I think that it was noble. Stupid but noble. However, if you agree to create the club with me, I want 100 percent trust, no last minute changes of opinions or whatever. Yeah? Okay? We're good?"

You're still catching up with his words that he spilled like fucking beans on the ground.
"I think there could be a conflict of interest. My values don't really meet yours, Stark. From what I heard, you just want to secretly maximize your influence in the world." you lean on the window pane, looking directly into his eyes. The pupils widen a bit.

"Well, if you're not a part of it, then I can't tell you shit, can I?" he whispers.

"Why did you come here to me? Why were you so interested in the Illuminati's work when you turned down the offer to join?"

"I want for us to be strong, so strong that all the bad guys will shit their pants when they see us, the Hellfire Club, together. And you -" he quickly reaches you and points to your forehead slightly, "you are strong as hell, y/n, and you're righteous, exactly what we need."

He falls silent, waiting for your answer.

"You didn't answer to my other questions, Stark." you say and get an eye roll back.

"I'm a curious man, okay? Only watched the fall of Illuminati." his hands in the air make an imaginary newspaper headline.

"Hm." you hum, not even sure what the fuck you're supposed to say.

"Anyway, I'm not going to be at the ceremony, so congrats on your new duties. I do hope you're gonna accept my offer. JARVIS?"

"Yes, Mr Stark?" you hear a voice coming from his inside pocket.

"Tell baby driver to bring what I asked."

"Right away, Sir."

"Bring what? Tony, you're very not on time. Can we wrap this whole thing up already?" you rub your eyes for a moment.

"Nice hairstyle, by the way, is this how youngsters do their hair now?" Tony chuckles and you pat your head. Of course, with all this shit happening, you forgot to brush your hair and now look like some kind of witch with snakes on the head.

"Fuck off, Stark, or I'll send you somewhere not nice." you say and go to the mirror to fix your hair.

A knock on the door is heard along with a familiar voice, "I brought the documents, Mr Stark.".

Before Tony gets up, you open the doors with magic and see William standing there. So did Stark give you his personal chauffeur at the funeral?

"Thanks, Billy, put that on the table." Stark says without looking at the guy, and you follow with your eyes the awkward form of his driver scurrying to place a folder on your desk and run back to the threshold.

"Well, I'll give you some time to think about it, here's a little bedtime reading material, hope your choice will make me happy." Tony says and follows his driver.

"I thought Pepper's job was to make you happy." you can't hide your smirk at how he stops in place and turns to look at you.

Smirk plastered on his face, he points at you, "and that's why I want you in my club."

You watch him disappear in the long corridor, and you walk outside as well, already creating an excuse for your absence in the grand meeting.